Lucas Nogueira
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C | Brazil | 7’0” | 225 lbs | 7/26/92 |
Lucas, as he is known, is the next in a wave of Brazilian bigs who will be drafted into the NBA. Lucas is a long and lengthy 7 footer, who needs to add considerable strength to play post in the NBA. He appears to resemble Anderson Varejao with his bushy hair but on the court he has a lot of upside.
Offensively, it will take Lucas time to develop. At 18 he has a lot of room to grow physical and mentally. In time he should develop a nice post game and midrange jumper. The bulk of Lucas’ offense comes on transitions and put backs where he can rely on his speed and athleticism.
Defensively is where Lucas will make his impact felt. Due to his athleticism and length Lucas is tough to get a shot over and gets his hand on a lot of loose balls and rebounds. As Lucas grows stronger watch out he will appeal to many teams because of his upside and seems a likely candidate to play a few seasons overseas and then come to the NBA.
| Projection | Late first – Early Second |
| Strengths | True 7 footer Freak athleticism and speed for his size Shows good energy and a knack for blocking shots Great in transition |
| Weaknesses | Raw offensively Needs to get stronger Hasn’t faced top competition |